Wild chimpanzees modify modality of gestures according to the strength of social bonds and personal network size.

ABSTRACT: Primates form strong and enduring social bonds with others and these bonds have important fitness consequences. However, how different types of communication are associated with different types of social bonds is poorly understood. Wild chimpanzees have a large repertoire of gestures, from visual gestures to tactile and auditory gestures. We used social network analysis to examine the association between proximity bonds (time spent in close proximity) and rates of gestural communication in pairs of chimpanzees when the intended recipient was within 10 m of the signaller. Pairs of chimpanzees with strong proximity bonds had higher rates of visual gestures, but lower rates of auditory long-range and tactile gestures. However, individual chimpanzees that had a larger number of proximity bonds

SUBMITTER: Roberts AI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5030607 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature